Incredible Athletes Round-Up: Goals for 2012

Incredible Athletes Round-Up: Goals for 2012

We’ve talked about reflection, and goal setting. But as we know, nothing happens without action. This is a long one, but a good one. A few of our “Incredible Athletes” took the time to chat with me about their 2011, and what goals they have for 2012.

How do you set fitness goals?

“I set fitness goals that are short-term and attainable — it’s the only way that I’ve found to meet them! For example, I don’t really think about things like losing 10 pounds or running a half marathon. I think about maintaining my calorie goals one day at a time, or following a weekly training plan. That also gives me the time and space to change things up if my original plans aren’t working! I try and find support at every step, so I have blogging friends that keep me accountable, and I tell everyone what I’m working on (so I can’t back out!)” – Katy Widrick

“I choose a goal that will challenge me, but that is something I enjoy doing. I love running. I love strength training, so I often set goals for each of those.” – Tina Reale

“Fitness goals are like dominos. Once you start with one (say running to the end of the block and back) they have a tendency to fall into the next one (running a 5k), until you reach the end (marathon) and beyond (ultra-marathon). I set my fitness goals by building on to the previous year’s fitness goals.” -Meghann Anderson

“Some of my long-term goals have been set just by watching my parents take part in these amazing events, and wanting to take part, too! I’ll set a short-term goal by re-evaluating my past performances and see where I can realistically improve.” – Rachel Wilk

“My main fitness goals are set around races. I choose a race, roughly 4 months in advance, and then develop a training plan. I list my workouts out on a calendar and keep track of my progress in a training log, usually a spreadsheet. For each month, I set monthly mileage goals and schedule a mixture of speed workouts and cross-training sessions. Having a race, or other major event, on the calendar makes you more accountable to your fitness goals.” – Karen Welby

“I think about where I am currently and where I’d like to be or what I’d like to accomplish and then consider all the other important factors in my life (kids, husband, job, etc.) to find a meeting ground between dreams and reality.” – Erika Howder

“I’m all about setting measurable goals, so I know whether or not I achieve them. Plus, setting these types of goals pushes me work harder to accomplish them!” – Tina Haupert

What is your best goal setting tip?

“When it comes to setting goals, my biggest tip is to make them public. It’s easy to skip a night at the gym when you’re the only one that knew you’d planned on going, but when you’ve told all of Twitter that you plan on lifting weights, you know that you’re letting others down if you don’t go!” – Katy Widrick

“Work towards your goal in ways you can control. When losing the 30+ pounds I had hanging around after my son was born, I didn’t focus on the scale. I focused on getting in 5 workouts a week, eating healthy meals, drinking enough water, etc. Focusing on those actions helped me achieve the weight loss…but I could track it in a healthier way.” – Tina Reale

“Don’t set your goals based on other people’s goals. Understand your body and where you’re coming from before you set a goal.” – Meghann Anderson

“It’s good to have a long-term goal – i.e. I want to run a marathon – but it’s also important to have more manageable short term goals that you can hit so you stay motivated.” – Rachel Wilk

“My best tip regarding any goal is to write it down and track your progress. Keep a spreadsheet of days you do a workout, how many miles you ran, mornings you took a spin class, nights you did strength training, etc. If you don’t reach your goal, you can go back and analyze your data before setting your next goal.” – Karen Welby

“Look for a goal that will require you to reach to get to it, but that isn’t so far out of your reach as to be discouraging.” – Erika Howder

“For big goals, break them into smaller, more specific goals to help you work toward them. It makes the goal seem so much more manageable and keeps my motivation high from achieving the smaller goals.” -Tina Haupert

What are your 2012 goals?

“For me, 2012 is going to be the year of getting my body ready for a healthy pregnancy. I’m 31 (almost 32!) and the baby bug has hit, so fitness and nutrition are more about having and sustaining a pregnancy than losing weight or looking good. I want to be a great mom, and I know that taking care of myself now is the key.” – Katy Widrick

“I not so secretly want to run a full marathon. Like…really badly.” – Tina Reale

“In 2012 my first goal will be to run a 1:45 half marathon, then a 3:55 full marathon. 2011 was all about building endurances in new sports for me, but 2011 will be back to speed. It’s nice to change it up every other year instead of constantly burning myself out on this or that.” – Meghann Anderson

“Run the Philadelphia 10 Mile Broad Street Run for the 6th consecutive year. Every year my goal is to beat my time from the previous year, so this year I’ll have to beat 74 minutes. I’d also like to try running the Warrior Dash or another type of obstacle course race.” – Karen Welby

“For 2012, I want to get my running endurance and speed back where they were in 2010. In addition, I’d like to do a better job of being active on days when I’m not running. I find it way too easy to do nothing on non-running days. I am also planning to hit 4 new states in 2012 (Washington, Oregon, Ohio, and TBD).” -Erika Howder

“I’m not sure of them all yet, but one definitely involves pull-ups!” – Tina Haupert

What was one goal that you set for yourself in 2011 that you accomplished?

“In 2011, I set a goal to run my third half marathon — a big one because I’d declared that I would never again run that distance. And I was definitely not in shape, physically or mentally, when I started to train! I worked hard, completed the event, and set a PR. Very proud day.” – Katy Widrick

“I got back to my “happy weight” after having my second child in January. I started running for the first time ever, then went on to run two half marathons with a 1:47 PR. I maintained a healthy attitude with food, even after my years of battling binge eating. I also got certified as a personal trainer this year and have started my own business with affordable online personal training. Yea…it’s been a GREAT year! ” – Tina Reale

“I wanted to complete a half ironman and on September 25th I did it. I wasn’t the fastest in the group, but I worked hard at training and dedicated myself 100% to the race. It was a blast and proved that I could do anything if I set my mind to it.” – Meghann Anderson

“I finished my second marathon – and took 30 minutes off my time, too! I really wanted to run the whole race and not fall apart at the end, which I did.” – Rachel Wilk

“I won a 5k! I hadn’t won a race since my senior year of college when I ran middle distance/sprints, so it felt great to get back in the winner’s circle!” – Karen Welby

“Despite a nagging Achilles issue that seriously limited my mileage, I ran races in four new states in 2011: Wyoming, Utah, Michigan, and West Virginia. Running somewhat untrained in high altitude proved to me that sometimes all you need is a strong mind.” – Erika Howder

“Run a marathon! I actually ran two!” – Tina Haupert

Now I want to hear from you. What goals did you accomplish in 2011? What is in store for you in 2012?

I would love to hear your goals or your tips for reaching your goals! Come over to Facebook and let me know, or leave an anonymous question or suggestion on our FormSpring page.

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